5860. M32 roundabout J3 (557)

 

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024

Oh my! This is Kosc at his very best, and even by his high standards, he has excelled himself. It is obvious that Kosc works very hard to develop his skills and looks to improve from piece to piece, stretching his repertoire and pushing boundaries. When you strive and work hard, you get your returns and this feels like a landmark piece to me.

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024

From the background I would guess that this is an oriental scene and portrait, featuring a beautiful woman with flowers in her hair. The greyscale portrait has a softness of touch about it, accentuated by the solid chunky letters either side. I am not too sure why the ‘C’ melts away, but there must be a reason behind it.

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024

To me, what absolutely makes the piece perfect, is the stunning landscape setting featuring mountains and trees and old buildings, painted in subtle shades of blue. Whether it is deliberate or not, the spilt paint on the ground draws the piece out towards the viewer and adds to the overall impression.  Brilliant work from an artist at the top of his game.

5686. Leonard Lane (44)

Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023
Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023

The second of three pieces painted recently by Creamylines in Leonard Lane is, of course, a fabulous landscape with sun rays and clouds. The space that he has chosen to paint is quite small, and so the black lines feel a little more dominant than when he paints larger walls.

Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023
Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023

Although his work is quite formulaic, no two pieces are identical, and there is some comfort in knowing what you are going to get from Creamylines. It might be interesting to see him tackle a couple of different ideas – perhaps painting in landscape format or painting a different kind of landscape… urban, desert, forest for example. I remain a big fan of his highly original work.

This England

Mendip National Nature Reserve, view of Somerset, October 2023
Mendip National Nature Reserve, view of Somerset, October 2023

.

Vast autumn storm clouds

dragging moisture from the sea

wet and waterlogged

.

by Scooj

4935. Picton Lane (15)

Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022

I love a good mural every now and again, and I was pleasantly surprised by this lovely piece by Conrico hidden away in Picton Lane. I haven’t visited the lane in quite a while, so am not sure when this was painted, but I hadn’t been aware of it on social media at all.

Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022

Taking up the whole side wall of a building, the tranquil; piece depicts a railway passing through a small settlement and disappearing into the purple mountains in the distance. The artwork has a naïve style with a little bit of flexibility on perspectives and so on.

Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022

Overall, the mural is a ray of sunshine, breathing life into a wall that would otherwise be rather dull. Conrico has been busy with commissions this year, which can only be a good thing for him and for us.

Sirens

In memory of an artist who brought studio art onto the streets of Bristol. He will be greatly missed.

A complete series of Sirens blog posts on Natural Adventures can be read here.

All images by Scooj

Riverside, Sirens, Bristol, November 2019
Riverside, Sirens, Bristol, November 2019

Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020

Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020

Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

Door painted by Sirens, River Avon cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Door painted by Sirens, River Avon cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

Sirens, North Street hoarding, Bristol, June 2017
Sirens, North Street hoarding, Bristol, June 2017

Sirens, Leonard Lane, Bristol, June 2017
Sirens, Leonard Lane, Bristol, June 2017

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

4739. Spot (145)

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022

By the time you read this I will be wetting a line on the south coast of Cornwall not far from Fowey, and this post is short because I need to get up, have breakfast and prepare my fishing gear that hasn’t seen any action for a long while.

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022

Creamylines hit this spot hard about three weeks ago, and this is the second of his pieces from that session. Painted in the naive style, this piece is another landscape piece filled with hills and people and topped off with a classic sun and sun-rays painted the way we used to paint them in School. You might also spot a couple of concealed faces too. Great work and so different to what we are used to seeing.

4724. Elton Street (11)

Slakarts, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022
Slakarts, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022

It was a genuine pleasure to see this lovely piece from Slakarts, because I haven’t seen much of his work lately. I am hoping that his absence from the streets is an indication that his work is going well. Balancing work and pleasure can be a challenge, but you’ve got to keep those shekels coming in.

Slakarts, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022
Slakarts, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022

Adopting the same colour scheme as the other pieces in this collection of Elton Street pieces, Slakarts has painted a rather special mural, with a lot more content than his customary stylised portrait. There is a semi-rural landscape, some high rise flats and flowers, accompanying the character. On-point and very clean, this is a wonderful piece from Slakarts.

4723. M32 Spot (144)

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022

It is interesting how some artists simply appear out of nowhere, without warning. Sometimes you get to watch an artist from the start, working on their style and developing their skills, but at other times a fully ‘up to speed’ artist just starts painting, either a visitor to Bristol or a recent mover to the city.

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022

Creamylines is one of those ‘just appeared’ artists, and three new pieces under the M32 and another one in Easton are there for all to enjoy. His style is so very different from anything else we have in Bristol, and you can see how he goes about his work in this Instagram post on the artist’s thread. It is a privilege to welcome him to the Bristol scene.

4591. Upfest 2022 (31)

This was the first completed piece from Upfest 2022 that I saw this year and was the piece that alerted me to the fact that many artists were already out and about in Bedminster painting static walls as a precursor to the main event in Greville Smyth Park at the end of May.

Squirl, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Squirl, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The large mural is by Squirl, who has painted a few times in Bristol, mostly at Upfest, but also in collaboration with SPZero76 as part of the Gums and Tongue crew. This is a beautifully designed landscape scene in a highly stylised and colourful form. A stunner, and as fortune would have it, the roadworks in front of it made it easier to photograph as there are usually cars permanently parked in front of this wall. Great piece from Squirl.

2774. St Werburghs tunnel (148)

I first met Sirens a few years ago in The Bearpit when he was contributing to a paint jam, I think organised by Georgie. I have had a soft spot for his work ever since. His scenes are most unconventional and unlike anything else you see in the city. Often his work contains strong horizons and vanishing points and that interface between humanity and nature.

Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Sirens, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

I also know that Sirens enjoys the chalenge of painting in corners, a form of anamorphic art that needs to be viewed from a certain angle in order to make sense. This naive style is instantly recognisable and although not technically up there with some of the Bristol masters, it is original and in a way aesthetically pleasing. I haven’t seen any of his work for ages so it was great to find this one at the tunnel.